Parallel-working pliers.



No. 683,7I6. y Patented Oct. I, 19m.'

' H. G. WEIBEZAHL.

PARALLEL WORKING PLIERS.

(Application led Feb. 11, 1901.)

(No Model.)

mz mms vcrcncm mmm. Hmmm a q.'

INYEJVTOR.'

"Nrrnn STATESK4 PATENT HERMAN G. WEIBEZAHL, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

PARALLEL-WORKING PLIERS.,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,716, dated October 1, 1901.

Application filed February 1l, 1901. Serial No. 46,833. (No model.)

To aff-ZZ whom, t may concern/.-

Beit known that I, HERMAN GNVEIBEZAHL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city and county of New York, have invented certain new Improvements in Parallel-Working Pliers and Kindred Tools; and I hereby declare the following, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, said drawings forming a part of this specification.

Since the first invention of parallel pliers, in so far as I am aware, in all the various patents for such pliers which were constructed with jaws suspended in the handles the same forms of jaw and shank have been utilized in them, the forward extremities of the levers being positively engaged with and held stationary at that point by the connecting-pins. The rearward portions of the shanks have in all instances been given a motion in relation to the levers, their proper parallel position being insured by various devices, such as slots, suspended central portions, offsets in the handle portions of the levers, dto. As the eect of the sliding movable connection of the shanks at their lower extremities results in the carrying of same upward in the closing movement with the fulcrum receding from the load and in weakening the tool, the lower portions of the slot being made to carry the same pressure as is exerted on the object grasped or on the jaws proper, there is a tendency for the prongs forming the slot to snap off. The pins in the upper' portions of the levers being stationed at or near the middle of the jaw-carrying members become merely pivots upon which the members may turn and may be likened to the balance-pin on the beam of a scales. Hence all the pressure exerted upon the object grasped is communicated directly to the lower portions of the members, and the center is weakened by the hole made for the reception of the said pins. The jaws being held firmly by the said pins, they execute a forward movement as the tool is closing, describing the radius of. a circle of a diameter of the distance between the two sets of pins. This also tends to weaken the strength of the tool, as well as to impair its utility. Thereis also a lengthening of the tool aside from the forward movement of thev jaws by reason of the circle described by the levers themselves as the tool is closing. This defect necessitates when fine and delicate Work is to be grasped the exercise of great care and precision to have the jaws strike at the right point as they are approaching each other. Another grave defect lies in the fact that as the jaws are closing the power diminishes by reason of the fulcrum moving away from the load, consequently weakening the hold, as well as the tool, when the need for power and strength is the greatest.

Attempt has been made in the past to construct a tool having true lateral and parallel motion, and a patent has been granted for such pliers. The movement sought was obtained, but it was at the expense of the main requisite of the tool-viz.,its gripping powerwhich was almost entirely sacrificed, the power obtained at the jaws being very nearly the same as that exerted on the handles.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new class of pliers in which the movement of the jaws shall be retrogressive to compensate for the forward movement of the tool as the jaws are closing, reducing the aggregate extending of the tool by offsett-ing as far as .possible one with another circle, so as to obtain increased power as well as 'a lateral parallel-moving tool or one approaching such m'ovement. As the Object of pliers is the grasping of substances with a force and power greater than that exerted by the hands, the most perfect pliers (having, of course, all the other necessary qualifications `of such tool) are those which produce the largest ratio of power in the jaws to the pressure exerted on the handles.v In cutting-nippers the compound systems of leverage have produced a high ratio; but the sacrifice made to obtain this result has been to give but a very limited movement to the jaws, making the tool and the movement useless except for the purpose designed-that of cutting cornparatively thin wires. Another important element in pliers, therefore, is the spread of the jaws, so as to be able to grip the largest possible objects with a given sized tool. Strength and rigidity are other paramount requisites of a perfect pliers. In a tool of this class, more particularly when equipped with cutting-jaws, another desideratumis IOO lthe ability to supply the greatest power when the jaws are nearing the termination of their approach to one another. This can be accomplished by a movable fulcrum approaching the load as the jawsare closing. The

value ofthis is again best illustrated in the form of tool just mentioned-viz., a pliers equipped with cutting-jaws. The wedgeshaped knives or cutters will enter the rod or other substance to be cut Very freely at the beginning of the operation; but as the cutters are called upon to cut through the thicker portion of the metal and at the same time displace the portions already cut through for the thickening-knives the need for power increases largely, the force required near the termination of the cut being many times that at its inception.` To produce a tool which shall mechanically supply `additional power toward the closing movements termination has been one of my objects, having had in mind at the same time the other requisites of a perfect pliers enumerated above.

The primary object of my invention has been, however, to produce a tool which, while having the above advantages, should have several sets of jaws, all working parallel and all working in unison by the same movement of the handles, without making the tool too complicated or greatly increasing its cost.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I will show and describe what I consider its best form and will afterward indicate certain important modifications.

Figure 1 is a general faceview of the tool, with triple jaws shown as opened. Fig. 2 represents the same tool when closed. Fig. 3 is an edge View of the same, showing the jaw E recessed in the slot of the member C. Fig. 4 is a similar View of the tool seen from the opposite side, showing the jaws F and the member D. Fig. 5 represents the tool, with the side jaws omitted, open, while Fig. 6 shows the same tool closed. Figs. 7 and S represent the upper portion of the tool with some of the parts reversed and altered. Fig. 9 represents a modification in which the side jaws attain a movement partly parallel and partly radial, and Fig. 10 is a view of the spring employed for throwing the jaws open.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they appear.

A B are handles or levers crossed, each bifurcated at its forward end to allow of the movement in same of the members C D. They are preferably made of sheet-steel. I bend the lever B more than its companion to allow it to lit snugly between the tines of the latter. I groove out those portions of the members C D on which portions of the lever B work or thicken those portions on which the lever A works. By this means I obtain a true fiat surface for all the tines of the levers and have them all bear true one against the other and greatly reduce the danger of the springing or buckling of the metal. I provide holes in the the shank in which it works.

levers for the proper fulcrum and terminal pins. These are preferably set in a true line with one another equidistant from the central or fulcrum pin. I may, however, ifI desire to obtain greater leverage, set the fulcrum-pin farther forward, making the slots in which the pins 3 et work on a slant to compensate for the dierence in the circles described bythe two sets of pins. This is shown in Fig. 8. The two levers are joined by the lfulcrurn pin or pins 5.

The member C carries one of the end jaws and one of the side jaws. These are carried on a shank which is slotted horizontally to near its lower end. The slot extends somewhat into the head also. There is also a slot at c, in which works the pin 3, which connects the ends of the forks of the lever B and passes through a lug on the side jawE, to be hereinafter mentioned and described. It is also slotted vertically at c', in which is carried a pin passing through the lower end of the jaw E. The pin l passes through the lever A and through the rearward end of the member C, which turns upon this pin axially.

D is the opposite member to C. It is slotted similarly to the latter and receives the pins 2, 4, and 7. It differs from the member C, however, in that a port-ion of the shank is made of only about one-third the thickness of its corresponding member to allow the jaw or jaws F to be placed upon the shank and between the tines of the lever A and in its head has recesses for the reception of the upper ends of said jaw or jaws. The members C D may, however, be made counterparts of each other and whichever form is chosen its corresponding jaw be used.

The jaw E, workingin the slot in the member C, is shown as of but one-third the thickness of said member. The portion not recessed in the said member may, however, be made of any suitable thickness, so as to give a proper bearing-surface against the side of This will relieve the pin G from strain and possible shearing and allow a much thinner pin to be used, as its only function then will be to keep the jaw from swinging.

The jaws FF lie on each side of the shank of the member D. While shown as separate jaws, they may be made of one piece, slotted on the inner side to fit upon the shank, so as to relieve the pin 7. An illustration of the jaws as changed is not deemed necessary.

Each of the jaws E F is made with a lug at its upper extremity, which matches, in the case of the jaws F, with the recesses in the head of the member D and is bored to receive its respective pin connected with the tines of the lever. working in the slots c d', previously mentioned. G is a spring set on the fulcrum-pin 5, Fig. 10.

I may leave off one or both pairs of side jaws. The construction and operation will be readily understood from the vdescription Each jaw also carries a pin 6 7,l

of the triple-jaw tool. In Fig. 9 I have given a View of a modification. This is also a triple-jaw tool in which the side jaws work, however, with a long radial motion, since they are lifted upward by the pins in the forward ends of the levers, as well as forced outward by the fulcrum-pin against which they rest. It will be seen, however, thatin this construction the power obtained in the other constructions by the side jaws is almost entirely lost, being decreased to a ratio below that obtained on the end jaws instead of being doubled.

In the construction of the tool any desired jaw may, of course, be substituted for the plain ones shown in the drawings. In the triple-jaw tool I have shown jaws designed for bending. I have constructed this tool particularly with a view for use as a bender for type-writer alinement. As such it has pronounced advantages over those used at the present time, owing to the fact that all th-e jaws work with a parallel motion.

In the alinement of the types it is necessary to bend the bars carrying the types to one side or the other or up or down, so that the types shall strike in their true position. To bend them properly requires great accuracy and a tool of sufficient power that the bars be easily bent Without endangering the solidity of the joints by which they are attached to the basket. Inasmuch as in most of the machines the bars cannot be brought up above the level of the basket, it is necessary to use a tool which shall grasp the bars when only partially raised, and it should be possible to make al1 the bends required with the one tool. /Vith all radial working pliers the object grasped has a tendency to slip forward and out of the tool, and in the case of a bender the bar or rod is not grasped in the center, but on parts corresponding to two sides of a triangle, and in order to hold the article firmly the sides have to be mashed. An imperfect bend and a marred bar is the result, as a slight twist is occasioned by the constantly-changing position of the jaws and their relative bearing-surfaces, leaving the bars slightly tilted and requiring the use of another tool to straighten them. With jaws working parallel exactly opposite sides are grasped and a true bend is made without any danger of the bar slipping forward and out or turning and loosening the joint at the basket. All the jaws in my tool being made in sets, concave and convex, but each side jaw working in the reverse to the other, one will make the up bend and the other the downward bend, while the end jaws will make the bend to either side, according to which way the tool is turned.

Inthe construction of the tool by allowing all the tines of the lever to work flat upon each other and those portions of the members C D which they touch I am enabled to make the metal of a width proportionate with the severest demands upon the tool and to largely decrease the distance between the pins l 2 3 4 and the fulcrum-pin without restricting the opening of the jaws, which are limited in their spread only by the length of the slots. A considerable portion of a circle can therefore be described by the ends of the levers without interference. The fulcrum may be made of one or two pins. I prefer the former, making it with shoulders and riveted over on the faces of the tool. This serves to bind the levers well together and insures an equalization of the strain and prevents buckling inward or outward, a danger also largely decreased by the shortness of the lever ends. There being, as shown, no forward movement of the jaws and shorter crosslevers, the lever-handle is necessarily lengthened to produce a given-size tool as compared with other similarly-constructed pliers, with the result that the power obtained is very largely increased and may be doubled, While the strength of the tool is equally increased by the additional width of the sheet-metal levers at the point of greatest strain.

Othermodifications than those mentioned may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of my invention, such as fastening the pins 3 4 in the members C D and making slots in the upper portions of the tines of the levers,as shown in Fig. 7, which would produce the same movement of the jaws. I may also slot the jaws E F and station the pins 6 7 in the members C D. I may also, instead of thickening portions of Ithe members C D or cutting recesses in them, shape the stamped blank for the handle-'levers A with extra projections to be turned under, and thus thicken the forks where needed. I may also make parts of the tool of various shapes and sizes, and parts of the construction shown may be used without others. Y

In the operation of the tool it will be seen that as the levers are pressed together the members C D are forced toward one another by the pins l 2 3 4, the last two rising in their respective slots c d and carrying with them the side jaws E F, which are guided in their lower ends by the pins 6 7. The pins l 2 being stationary in the handles and fitted closely in the members C D, the latter work upon them axially. The arc of the circle described by the tines of the levers is not only compensated by their sliding forward on the jaws instead of carrying them with them, but there is a distinct retrogressive movement, which nearly allows the tool to close on the lines of the chords of the two circles. This closing movement throws forward the fulcrum-pin, which rises toward the load, together with the pins connecting the tines of the levers, and brings the point of resistance more nearly behind the point of greatest strain. Thus the resisting strength of the members C D is increased and their liability to spring lessened. It will be seen that this movement produces the greatest power to- IIO Lil:

ward the termination of the closing inovcment.

I do not desire to be understood that I make any claim to the form of the handlelevers with bifurcated ends and the jaws grasped by the ends of the tines, as that is a well-known mechanical contrivance and was disclosed as far back as l857,by William Hart, in Letters Patent No. 18,971, in which patent the ends of the bifurcated levers are shown connected by means of pins or rivets passing through same and the solid paralleljaws suspended in the tines. Neither do I claim the provision of an opening through the jaws, as that is shown in the same patent, as well as `that of others; but one of the important features connected with my invention is the crossing of the tines of the handle-levers without making bends in the metal (thus decreasing its resistance power) and thickening certain portions of the tool or handle levers, adding strength thereby, instead of taking same away from necessarily the weakest portion of the tool, where, nevertheless, the greatest strain is exerted. Neither do I claim or wish to be understood as making any broad claim involving hollow hand portions, as this feature was disclosed as early as .I une 29, 1875, Patent No. 165,096 of D. S. Hayward for a somewhat similar device, wherein the hollow hand portion`stamped of sheet metal is set forth.

What I claim is- 1. Pliers of the class described, with jaws carried on Shanks, positively pivoted at their rear ends to cross-levers, and having their front outer portions in sliding engagement with the forward ends of said levers, all combined substantially as herein specilied.

2. In pliers of the class described, the combination with pivoted cross-levers, of jaws carried on shanks positively pivoted at their rear ends to said levers and having pin-andslot engagement at their front outer portions with the forward ends of said levers, substantially as set forth.

3. In pliers, the combination with crossed handle-levers, bifnrcated, of jaws carried on shanks pivotally and positively connected at their rear ends in the tines, and their forward outer portions in movable engagement with the ends of the tines, whereby the jaws are retracted as they approach each other, all substantially as set forth.

4. In pliers, the combination with bifurcated crossed handle-levers, of jaws carried on shanks, one of which has a vertical end slot, the Shanks being in the bifurcations, and positively and pivotally connected therein with said levers, and with vertical side slots contiguous to their point of union with the end jaws, each receiving a pin engaged with its lever at its forward extremities, substantially as set forth.A

5. In pliers, the combination with crossed handle-levers having a fulcrum connection,

of jaws and connections therefor with the handle-levers involving the inner positivelylocated pivots and outer sliding engaging means whereby the radius of closure of .said

j aws will be reduced as that described by the rear ends of the handle-levers is increased relatively lto the jaws, substantially as set forth.

6. In pliers, the combination with crossed bifurcated handle-levers, having a fulcrum connection, of jaws in said tines in pin-andsiot engagement with the outer ends of the same, and having positive pivotal connection with the levers to then'ear of the fulcrum thereof, whereby, as said levers are closing, the pin-and-slot engagement of each jaw and the fulcrum of the levers are brought nearer to the load, substantially as set forth.

7. In pliers, the combination with crossed bifurcated handle-levers having a fulcrum connection, of jaws in said tines and in pinand-slot engagement with the outer ends of the same, and having positive pivotal connection with the levers'to the rear ofthe fulcrum thereof, and a spring G engaging said fulcrum connection, and having its free members between the jaws, substantially as set forth.-

8. In pliers, end jaws in combination with side jaws, the latter equipped to insure parallel lnovements, and with a single pair of operating-handles, all arranged for joint operation, substantially as specified.

9. In a pair of pliers, triple sets of jaws equipped with means to insure parallel movements of each set, and with operating-handles coacting with said means to secure the simultaneous parallel movements offthe several sets of jaws, all combined substantially as set forth.

l0. In pliers, the combination with pivotally-attached crossed levers, bifurcated, of end jaws provided with lateral jaw members and having Shanks, and operatively connected with said levers, and sliding side jaws on the Shanks, each engaged with the levers by connecting-pins passing through tines of IOO IIO

the same, jaws and shanks, all substantially as set forth.

l1. In pliers, the combination with pivotally-connected crossed levers, bifurcated, of

end jaws provided with lateral jaw members,

portions are in pin-and-slot engagement with the ends of the tines, whereby the center of strain of the upper pin engagement of each jaw is shifted toward the front end of the tool and the ends of the tines advanced to afford a direct grasp as the tool is closing, substantially as set forth.

13. In pliers, the combination of crossed levers having a fulcruin connection, of end jaws and side jaws having operative connection with each other and with the levers, so that the jaws of said several sets will have a simultaneous parallel motion relative to their companions, the said operative connection including engagements of the lowermembers of the side jaws with the upper ends of said levers, said engagements serving as shifting fulcrums for said jaws as the tool is closing, Substantially as set forth.

let. In pliers, the combination of crossed levers having a fulcrum connection, of end jaws and side jaws having operative connection with each other and with the levers so that the jaws of said several sets will have a simultaneous parallel motion relatively to their companions, the said operative connection including engagement of the lower members of the side jaws with the upper ends of said levers, said lower members further having depending portions in pin-and-slot engagement with the Shanks, substantially as set forth.

15. In pliers, the combination with a pair of bifurcated sheet-metal-handle levers presenting unbent tines, those of one lever Within those of the other, and a fulcrum connection at or near the longitudinal center of said tines, of jaws within said tines provided with shanks positively and pivotally attached at their lower ends and having upper outer portions in pin-and-slot engagement with the ends of the tines, substantially as set forth.

16. In pliers, the combination of the slotted jaws C, D, engaged through the said slots, by pins, with the tines of crossed bifurcated levers, Shanks integral with the said jaws positively engaged with hand portions of the said levers by means of pins located to the rear of the fulcrum-pin and acting as means for partially withdrawing the said jaws within the bifurcations of the said levers, all substantially arranged as herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 8th day ofFebruary, 1901.

HERMAN G. WEIBEZAI-IL.

Witnesses:

J. B. CLAUTIOE, M. F. 'BoYLn 

